Telephonic auditory apparatus



(No Model.)

G. V. BENJAMIN.

TELEPHONIU AUDITORY APPARATUS.

No. 448,627. Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

ilriirnn STATES PATENT FFICE.

GEORGE VAUGHN BENJAMIN, OF ITIIACA, NEW YORK.

TELEPHONIC AU DITORY APPARATUS.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,627, dated March24, 1891.

Application filed June 20, 1889. Serial No. 315,027. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it 732/661] concern.-

lle it known that I, Gnonen VAUGHN BEN- JAMIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Ithaca, Tompkins county, New York, have invented anImproved Instrument or Structure for Connecting the Ear of the User of aTelephone with the Telephone, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of, first, a cap made to lit the head about theear of the one hearing the message of a telephone, the cap being made ofrubber hardened to a cartilaginous consistency, so that it hasconsiderable rigidity with a degree of flexibility; second, this cap isconnected either by one tube from one ear-cap or, as indicated in thedrawings, by two caps and two tubes, which connect each car to a commontube before reaching the telephone, this final tube being connected to acover placed over the auditory-aperture of the telephone; third, apacking or a sounddeadening materialis employed with the cap, which maybe and by use will be extended under the edges of the ear-cap, packingagainst the head and deadening sounds entering to the ear in the spaceabout the outside and the inside of the edges of the cap; fourth, avalve that opens either into the cap or into the tube near the cap;fifth, of the adjustable screw-furnished portion of the tube, by whichthe end of the tube is adjusted on the threads in the cap to bring theaural end of the tube into the vestibule of but not in contact with thecar itself, because all ends of tubes impacted in the ear become coveredwith the secretions of the ear and liable to communicate disease, (henceI adjust the end of the tube in the cap, as just stated,) and. sixth,such connecting means with the telephone as to receive its transmittedsounds. By these means it will be seen that my main feature of inventionis a cap about the ear anda tube partially or wholly flexible with anadjustment to a telephone, and the secondary adjuncts of packingmaterial, valve to admit external sounds, and means of adjustment of theend of the sound-conveying tube in the vestibule of the car. There is nodesign nor adaptation sought of any invention applicable to anear-trumpet, stethoscope, or to any appliance for deafness or like usesof parts somewhat similar; nor do I claim to be the inventor of any tubeconnected with a telephone which has its aural end placed snugly orimpacted in the car.

My invention will be apparent as I further describe it.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my instrument placed in a perpendicularposition. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the attachment of my instrumentto a Bell telephone, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the ear-cap.

In the figures, a is the auditory end of a telephone, such as Bells, andb is my cover over its auditory-aperture, titted by a rubber jacket 0between the telephone and the cover. A flexible tube (Z is attached tothis cover and reaches the center piece, where the tubes cl d join thetube (Z. I need not describe the common parts of these tubes, such astheir springs, levers, hinges, 850., butsimply say that they aremetallic parts which hold the tubes and ear-caps to the head. The capsare somewhat elastic, and the tubes adjustable in the caps byscrew-threads on the ear ends of these tubes, as and for the reasonsstated, since even the usual aperture of a Bell telephone becomes foulby especially the indiscriminate use of many persons. Therefore I makethe contact with the head about the whole car and not in contact withthe ear, and the edges of the cap, whether covered by packing materialor not, are shaped to fit the head and especially project into thecavity below the ear, and a valve g is placed either on the cap or tube,as indicated, for admitting external sounds. All else is believed to beapparent. My claims are limited to my exact invention.

I claim 1. In an instrument made to be used between the ear and atelephone, a cap of cartilaginous consistency and with a shape adaptedto fit the head about the ear, in combination with a tube connecting thecap and the telephone, as described.

2. In a telephonic structure used between the ear and a telephone, thecap provided with a sound preventing and deadening material packed aboutthe edges of the cap and excluding external sounds, as described.

3. In a telephonic structure used between the ear and a telephone, thevalve adjusted combination of the ear-cap and of its tube-exon the capor on the tube near the cap,- asdetensioninto but not in con tactwiththe ear, and scribed. the packing about the edges of the cap and 4. In astructure used between the earand the sound-conveying tube extending tothe I 5 5 a telephone, the cap and ear end of the tube telephone, therebeinga connection of the provided with screw-threads, whereby ad Itube-with the' telephone, as described.

justm ent is made of the aural end of the tube a into but not in contactwith the ear, as de- E R VAUGHN BENJAMIN scribed. Witnesses? 1o 5. In aninstrument for telephonic hearing SAMUEL J. PARKER,

used between the ear and a telephone, the O. P. HYDE.

